Railograph.



E. E. JOHNSON.

RAILOGRAPH.

APPLIoATxoN FILED 11u25, 1911. f

1,016,999. Patented Feb.13,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

gw BYM Kirai/v4- ns coLUMmA PLANOGRAPH C0..WASH1N5TON. D. c,

APlLIGA'IION FILED MAY 25, 1911.

B. E.- JOHNSON.

RAILGGRAPH.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

, i* .i I l ID coLUMmA PLANQGRAPM co.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

f P? f E. E. JOHNSON.

RAILOGRAPH.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 25, 1911.

1,016,999, Patented Feb. 13,1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ze i 29 27 COLUMNA PLANOGRAPM et, WASHINGTON. uA cA EDWARD E. JOHNSON, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

RAILOGRAPI-I.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 25, 1911.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

Serial No. 629,369.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. JOHNSON, of St. Paul, Ramsey county, Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railographs, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a device by means of which an accurate cross sectional outline or contour of a rail-head may be quickly reproduced on a paper sheet or card.

In modern railroading, it is customary to obtain sectional sketches of a rail-head from time to time for the purpose of comparison with other portions of the track to ascertain what effect the traffic of the road has on certain portions as compared with other portions with a view of improving` the condition of the track and removing causes which may tend to lessen the life of a rail. Such records are also valuable for the purpose of ascertaining the effect of trains running at high speed over certain sections of the track.

A further object is to provide a device which can be easily and quickly applied to a rail, regardless of weather conditions, frequency of trains, and proximity of frogs or switches.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following detailed description.

The invention consists generally in various constructions and combinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device, showing its application to a rail, Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line of Fig. l, Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, illustrating the instrument set for describing the contour of the side of the rail-head, Fig. 4L is a view of the opposite side of the instrument from that shown inFig. 1, Fig. 5 is a top view with the cylinders shown in section, illustrating the position of the paper rolls therein, Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of the scribing mechanism.

In the drawing, 2 represents a frame, preferably of cast aluminum, having a flat surface against which the record paper or card 8 is held by spring arms 4. This frame carries cylinders 5 and 6 to hold the roll of paper that is wound on the spool 7 and operated by means of a linger grip 8 project-- ing above a cover 9 of one of the cylinders.

A similar cover 10 is provided for the other cylinder. One cylinder holds the roll of paper and the otherl the completed records, and by using a record paper numbered at suitable intervals the operator may obtain a sketch of the contour of the rail-head, make a record in his note book of the time and place of taking the record, and placing in his note book the number corresponding to the number of the sheet bearing the record. l/Vhen this has been done the spool 7 may be revolved, winding up the record thereon and presenting a fresh sheet for another record. During this time the paper will be exposed to the weather only while the sketch is being made and when it is completed it will be wound on the roll in the cylinder and protected thereby from damage and will form a permanent record of that portion of the days work. The cylinders have vertical slots 11 therein through which the paper travels.

In a device of this kind it is important to provide a construction that is capable of quick and accurate application to a rail and immediate removal, as the reproduction of the contour of the rail-head, where trafiic is very heavy, is frequently desirable and an appliance of this kind must be capable of application to a rail in the few moments which may elapse between trains. Vith this end in view I provide lugs 13 in which legs or rods 11 are slidable. These rods are preferably made of drawn tool steel and slide freely in the lugs without lateral movement and are pinned at their upper ends into a cross head l5. The legs are arranged in a plane parallel to the plane of the record paper and move freely at right angles to the direction of movement of the paper. The legs are provided with feet 16 having beveled edges adapted to grip the rail base securely when pressure is applied to the legs, and the feet are arranged at right angles to the legs and parallel with each other and at right angles to the plain surface of the frame which forms a backing for the record paper.

The feet are preferably provided with outwardly extending scales 17 by means of which the position of the feet with reference to the edges of the rail base can be easily determined and the feet adjusted so that the distance will be the same on both sides of the rail. In the cross head 15 I arrange a threaded stem 18 having a finger grip 19 by means of which it may be revolved, the lower end of said stein having a rocker 2O to which hooks 21 are pivoted. These hooks are adapted to engage the under surface of the rail head and when the stem is revolved the feet will be forced down against the rail base and the device securely clamped on the rail.

In the operation of this device, rails of different height and width will be encountered and the appliance to be successful must accommodate itself easily and quickly to dierent sizes of rails. This I accomplish by making the distance between the feet 16 sulicient to receive the widest rail head and still have the gripping edges of these feet sufliciently near together to engage the narrowest rail base.

From the foregoing it will be understood,

that the alinement of the device with respect to the aXis of the rail can readily be determined by inspection of the feet 16 from above, for when they are at an equal distance from the edges of the rail base and parallel thereto, they fix the position of the record paper in proper relation with respect to the rail base and the center of the rail. The frame being capable of sliding vertically on the legs 14, it is evident that the device can be applied to a rail of any height.

The reproducing apparatus for use with this device may be made in various ways. I prefer, however, to use the one which I will now describe` in detail, as it is simple in construction and accurate in results. The frame V2 is provided at one end with outwardly projecting lugs 22, the plane of whose axes lies parallel to the direction of motion of the record paper, and on these lugs parallel links 23 are pivotally supported at one end. The opposite end of these links is pivotally connected to a triangle 24. Links 25 are pivotally connected with the triangle 24 and to one arm 26 of a bell crank 27. The tracer center 28 is located in the bell crank at the intersection of its arm 26 with a shorter arm 29, and 30 is a scriber, T-shaped in form, and mounted on a threaded bolt 31 fitting a socket in the scriber center 28 and having a lock nut 32. The scriber is provided with scribing points 33, 34, and 35, rotating about the scribing center 28 and lying in the same plane and equidistant from the center 28. The scriber has pin holes 36 and 37 adapted to register with corresponding holes 38 and 39 in the arms of the bell crank, being locked in such position by a pin 40. For convenience, the centers of the pivotal connections of the links 25 with the arm 26 and the scribing center 28 are in line so that scribing points 33,. 34, and 35 can be brought successively to the same position with respect to the scribing center for reproducing the contour of the top and sides of the rail-head. It

`vill be noted that the scribing center lies close to the plane of the links 25, the triangle 24 and the scribing points 33, 34 and 35, for the purpose of avoiding the error in reproduction which frequently arises when the tracing point is located at a considerable distance to one side, as is usually the case with devices of this kind. I accomplish this by providing a socket in the bolt 31 with tapered walls at one end to receive a pencil holder 40 having a nut- 41 for locking the parts securely together. The parallel links are preferably made of spring steel to allow a slight lateral movement for the purpose of pressing the pencil against the record paper.

In applying the device to a rail, the operator will grasp the frame and seat it on the top of the rail while the feet rest on the base. With the other hand the operator will turn the threaded stem until the hooks loosely engage the under side of the rail head, and upon reversing the direction of movement of the stem the hooks will be drawn snugly against the rail-head and acting through the sliding legs will brace the feet against the rail base and lock the device securely on the rail. I have found that the slight pressure necessary to lock the device on the rail-head also causes the legs to spring slightly so that they will bind in the lugs, thus making it unnecessary to provide any means for locln'ng the frame while the record is being taken. Vith the device as shown in Fig. 1 the operator can easily and quickly trace the contour of the top of a rail-head. When this has been done the scriber will be released and swung to the position' shown in Fig. 3, where its scribing point 35 will bear on the under surface of the rail-head and the contour of that side of the rail head can be easily traced. 1When this has been completed, the scriber is swung over to the other side of the rail-head and the outline completed, the record as it appears on the paper in Fig. 3 being an exact reproduction or cross-sectional outline of the rail-head. From this tracing or outline the officials of the road can easily and quickly determine the wear on the rail and what effect heavy trafiic or fast trains may have on certain portions of the track.

In some instances it may be advisable to tear off a record from the roll and I there fore provide a plate 42 on one side of the cylinders, having a serrated edge 43 for convenience in tearing the paper strip. If preferred, at any time the operator may insert a loose card in the frame and the tracing made thereon while the record roll is coiled in one of the cylinders. These cards will, of course, be changed each time a tracing is made.

I claim as my invention 1. A railograph comprising a frame adapted to support a record sheet or card, means for clamping the frame to a rail, said clamping means including legs adapted to seat themselves on the upper surface of the rail base and means engaging the rail head to clamp said legs against said base, and a reproducing mechanism including a pantograph and scribing and tracing points.

2. A railograph comprising a frame adapted to supportarecord sheet or card and having means for centering and clamping it on a rail, said centering and clamping means including legs adapted to seat themselves on the top of the rail base, and means engaging the upper portion of the rail for forcing the legs downwardly upon said base, and ascribing and tracing mechanism.

3. A railograph comprising water-proof record containers, a supporting frame having a surface between said containers forming a backing for the record sheet, means for centering and clamping said frame on a rail, said centering and clamping means including legs adapted to seat themselves on the top of the rail base and clamping jaws to engage the opposing surface on the underside of the rail head, and a scribing and tracing mechanism.

4. A railograph comprising record roll containers having means for reeling the record roll from one container to the other, said roll having numbered sections, a supporting frame having a backing between said containers for the numbered sections, means for clamping and centering said frame on arrail, said clamping and centering means including upright parallel legs adapted to seat themselves on the top of the rail base, and clamping jaws to engage the underside of the rail head, and a scribing and tracing mechanism.

5. A railograph comprising record sheet or roll containers, a supporting frame having a backing for the record sheet between said containers, means for severing the record sheet, means for centering and clamping said frame on a rail, said centering and clamping means including legs adapted to seat themselves on the top of the rail base and clamping jaws adapted to engage the under surface of the rail head, and a scribing and tracing mechanism.

6. A railograph comprising a frame, legs adapted to straddle the rail head and having feet to rest upon the rail base, graduated scale bars projecting transversely with respect to the rail base, said frame having a backing for a record sheet or card, a scribing and tracing mechanism, and a clamping means for said frame.

7. In a railograph, a pair of rigidly connected legs having feet adapted to grip the rail base and means for clamping said legs to the rail.

8. In a railograph, a pair of rigidly connected legs having feet adapted to grip the rail base, means for securing their alinement with the rail and means for clamping said legs to the rail.

9. A railograph comprising a frame adapted to rest on the top of the rail, legs vertically slidable in said frame and having feet at their lower ends to rest upon the rail base, and means for clamping said frame and legs to the rail-head, and a pantograph mechanism carried by said frame and having scribing points and a tracing pencil.

l0. A railograph comprising a frame, parallel legs slidable in said frame and having feet at their lower ends adapted to engage the rail base, said frame having a Hat surface forming a backing for the record paper, said surface being in a plane at right angles substantially to the plane of said feet, a pantograph mechanism, including parallel links and scribing points, and a tracing device pivotally supported on said frame, and means for locking said frame and legs on the rail.

1l. A railograph comprising a frame rigidly connected legs mounted thereon and adapted to straddle the rail-head and having feet adapted to rest upon the rail base, said frame having a flat surface forming a backing for the record sheet, cylinders provided at each end of said frame, one of said cylinders being adapted to contain the record sheet spool and the other cylinder having a spindle whereon the completed record is wound, and means for revolving said spindle.

12. A railograph comprising a frame, parallel legs slidable in said frame and adapted to straddle the rail-head and having feet at their lower ends adapted to rest on the rail base, a cross head connecting the upper ends of said legs, a threaded stem mounted in said cross head and having a finger grip, hooks pivotally supported by the lower end of said stem and adapted to engage the under side of the rail-head, whereby said frame may be locked on the rail, said frame having a surface adapted to receive a record sheet, and a reproducing mechanism carried by said frame and having means for following the contour of the rail-head, for the purpose specified.

13. A railograph comprising a frame, legs mounted thereon and having means for engaging the base of the rail, said frame having a surface forming a backing for the record sheet or card, means for securing said frame to the rail, a pantograph mechanism mounted on said frame and comprising parallel links, and a scribing center having a tracing pencil and arranged to revolve around said scribing center and having points adapted to contact and follow the contour of the rail-head.

14E. A railograph comprising a frame, supporting legs therefor adapted to rest upon the rail base, means securing said frame to the rail7 a pantograph device, comprising pairs of parallel links, a bell crank to one arm of Which one pair of said links is pivotally connected, a tracing pencil mounted at the intersection of the arms of said bell crank, a Tshaped scriber having its axis concentric With said tracing pencil, the extremities of said scriloer forming scribing points adapted to contact with the rail-head,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for and means for locking said scriber against EDWARD E. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

GENEvmVE E. SORENSEN, EDWARD A. PAUL.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patente,

Washington, I). C. 

